Social Network Data Analysis to Generate Suggestion Metrics for Online Gaming

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for cross suggesting games are described. One of the methods includes obtaining group data associated with a first web account group. The group data is associated with a first game and a first user group playing the first game. The method further includes identifying the first game to suggest to a second user based on the group data. The group data includes data regarding use of the first game by the first user group. The first user group includes network friends of the first user. The method also includes sending data identifying of the first game to a client device that is operated to access a second web account of the second user.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to methods and systems for crosssuggesting games.

BACKGROUND

Social networks have created a type of Internet website that has gainedin popularity. They help different types of people in relationships stayconnected such as family, friends, business associates, or people withsimilar interests. These connections are created through a variety oftools and applications, including profiles, groups, photos, music,videos, messaging, instant messaging, internal system communications andthe like.

Through social network websites, one can create online representationsof real-world relationships that allow users to interact with eachother. Users generally create a profile that will include personalinformation about the user, including displaying their interests,friends, photos, and background information. Users can also leavecomments on their profile and other user profiles to share with others.

To join these websites, a new user can usually simply visit the websiteand create an account or an existing user can invite other people tojoin. Once a new user joins, whether through directly signing up for thesite or by accepting a request to join from their friend oracquaintance, they typically create a profile of their own. After a userhas joined, that user can link other users as friends (or connections)by searching for them using various parameters and then having anautomated or personalized message sent to that user via the socialnetwork website.

Some social networking websites allow for third-party developers tocreate games that can run within the website. These games are developed,owned and hosted by game developers. Users add identities of these gamesto their profiles, and then can share the identities with other users.

The games are played online via the Internet. The games are played via aweb browser on a mobile device or a computer with the ability to input.These games are connected to a server that can apply complex rules andcomputations while allowing for player interactions over the Internet.Some of these Internet games are played by accessing the socialnetworking websites and there are some games that are played withoutaccessing the social networking websites.

However, a player may play a game and may be losing out on opportunitiesto play other games.

It is within this context that embodiments described in the presentdisclosure arise.

SUMMARY

Embodiments described in the present disclosure provide methods andsystems for cross suggesting games.

In some embodiments, a game is cross suggested to a player based on avariety of data, such as, for example, data regarding the player, dataregarding other users, such as, for example, network friends, of theplayer, data regarding use of a game by the player, and data regardinguse of the game by the other users, and data regarding use of othergames by the players.

In a number of embodiments, a method for cross suggesting games isdescribed. The method includes obtaining group data associated with afirst web account group. The group data is associated with a first gameand a first user group playing the first game. The method furtherincludes identifying the first game to suggest to a second user based onthe group data. The group data includes data regarding use of the firstgame by the first user group. The first user group includes networkfriends of the first user. The method also includes sending dataidentifying the first game to a client device that is operated to accessa second web account of the second user.

In several embodiments, a method for cross suggesting games isdescribed. The method includes obtaining group data associated with afirst web account group. The group data is associated with a first gameand a first user group playing the first game. The first game is playedusing the first web account group. The method further includesgenerating rank data to rank the first game within a set of games basedon the group data, associating the rank data with a second web accountof a second user, and sending the rank data to a client device that isoperated to access the second web account. The first user group includesnetwork friends of the second user.

In various embodiments, a server system for cross suggesting games isdescribed. The server system includes a processor, which is configuredto identify a first game that is used by a first user group based ongroup data. The group data is associated with a first web account groupof the first user group. The group data includes data regarding use ofthe first game by the first user group. The first game is identified tosuggest to a second user. Also, the first user group includes networkfriends of the first user. The server system further includes a networkinterface controller configured to send data identifying the first gameto a client device, which is operated to access a second web account ofthe second user. The server system includes a memory device configuredto store the identification of the first game.

Other aspects described in the present disclosure will become apparentfrom the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles ofvarious embodiments described in the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments described in the present disclosure may best beunderstood by reference to the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an architecture for illustrating a manner ofcross-suggesting games from one user group of one or more users toanother user group that includes one or more users, in accordance withone embodiment described in the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method for determining a game to suggest to auser based on group data, in accordance with another embodimentdescribed in the present disclosure.

FIG. 3A is a block diagram of a server system that is coupled with anetwork to illustrate a manner of cross suggesting games, in accordancewith one embodiment described in the present disclosure.

FIG. 3B is a block diagram of an architecture that is coupled with theserver system via the network to illustrate a manner of cross suggestinggames, in accordance with one embodiment described in the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a network architecture that illustrates use ofdifferent web accounts that are associated with different networks, inaccordance with one embodiment described in the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a compare logic module that compares datareceived from one or more databases to determine a rank of a game, inaccordance with one embodiment described in the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method for generating rankdata that is used to rank games, in accordance with one embodimentdescribed in the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of a display screen of client device to illustrateranking of games when a social network service is used to play thegames, in accordance with one embodiment described in the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of the display screen to provide anotherillustration of ranking of games when a social network service is usedto play the games, in accordance with one embodiment described in thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a diagram of the display screen to provide an illustration ofranking of games when a game service is used to play the games, inaccordance with one embodiment described in the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a diagram of the display screen to provide anotherillustration of ranking of games when a game service is used to play thegames, in accordance with one embodiment described in the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 11 is a diagram of the display screen that displays multiple gameweb pages to illustrate ranking of a game with respect to the othergames, in accordance with one embodiment described in the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 12 is a diagram of the display screen that displays multiple gameweb pages to provide another illustration of ranking of a game withrespect to the other games, in accordance with one embodiment describedin the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a diagram of the display screen that displays a pattern ofcircles to illustrate a suggestion of a game, in accordance with oneembodiment described in the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 is a diagram of the display screen that displays the pattern ofcircles to provide another illustration of a suggestion of a game, inaccordance with one embodiment described in the present disclosure.

FIG. 15 is a diagram of multiple graphs used to illustrate a dynamicchange in use of a game, in accordance with one embodiment described inthe present disclosure.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram of a client device, in accordance with oneembodiment described in the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It should be noted that various embodiments described in the presentdisclosure may be practiced without some or all of these specificdetails. In other instances, well known process operations have not beendescribed in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure variousembodiments described in the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an embodiment of an architecture 290 forillustrating a manner of cross-suggesting games from one user group ofone or more users to another user group that includes one or more users.The term “game”, as used herein, means a virtual game. For example, theterm “game” excludes real world sports that are played on a reallandscape, such as grass, field, etc. As another example, a “game” isplayed on virtual grass or in a virtual field. As another example, a“game” is played via the Internet or the World Wide Web.

A data services module 292 collects data regarding one or more games.For example, the data services module 292 collects first game data thatis rendered at a client device to identify or play a first game,collects second game data that is rendered at a client device toidentify or play a second game, and collects third game data that isrendered at a client device to identify or play a third game. In severalembodiments, the data services module 292 collects game data for anynumber of games. Also, the first game is different than the second gameand the third game, and the second game is different than the thirdgame. For example, the first game has different rules than that of thesecond game, has different prizes than that in the second game, hasdifferent virtual characters than that in the second game, has differentmultimedia than that in the second game, or a combination thereof.Examples of multimedia include an image, an animation, an audio, and avideo.

A game is identified using a name the game, a logo of the game, a brandof the game, or a combination thereof. For example, a poker game that isdeveloped by Zynga™ Corporation of San Francisco, Calif. is namedZyngapoker™. As another example, a crossword puzzle game that isdeveloped by Zynga Corporation is named “WORDS with Friends™”

Examples of a client device include a mobile device and a desktopcomputer. Examples of a mobile device include a laptop, a smart phone, acell phone, a personal digital assistant, and a tablet.

Examples of a game include a game that is used to collect virtual coins,a game that is used to collect virtual items, a game that is played withvirtual friends, a game that is played with social network friends, agame that is played to fight with virtual enemies, a Poker game, a gamethat is played to build a virtual city, a game that is played to build avirtual farm, a game that is played to follow virtual clues to solve avirtual puzzle and to achieve a virtual goal, and a game in whichplayers take turns building words crossword puzzle style with anopponent.

The data services module 292 further obtains a portion of group data154, which includes information about a first user group, which isdescribed below. For example, the data services module 292 accesses,such as, for example, reads, the group attribute data 306 from one ormore memory devices. In several embodiments, the group attribute data306 includes a social graph, which includes relationships betweenvarious users of a social network. For example, a social graph indicateswhether a user is a social network friend of another user. A user groupincludes one or more users, such as, for example, players of games.

The group data 154 includes group attribute data 306, such as, forexample demographic data. The group attribute data 306 is associatedwith one or more users of a group. Examples of group attribute data 306include an age of a user, a gender of a user, a relationship status of auser, interests of a user, hobbies of a user, likes of a user, dislikesof a user, or a combination thereof. It should be noted that each ofage, gender, relationship status, interest, hobby, like, and dislike isa parameter.

In several embodiments, the group attribute data 306 is unrelated to agame that users of a group play. For example, the group attribute data306 includes movies that are liked or disliked by a user, geographicallocations that are liked or disliked by the user, real world sports thatare liked or disliked by the user, etc.

The group data 154 also includes group behavior data 308, which isassociated with a game that is played by a group. Examples of the groupbehavior data 308 include a number of game sessions during a timeperiod, an amount of time a game is played during a game session, anumber of times a preview of a game is watched during the time period, anumber of indications of a like of a game, a number of indications of adislike of a game, a number of times a game is downloaded from a serverto a client device, or a combination thereof.

The group data 154 is stored in one or more memory devices. For example,the group attribute data 306 is stored in a memory device and the groupbehavior data 308 is stored in a memory device.

In several embodiments, a game session starts when a user startsplaying, such as, for example, interacting with, a game after logginginto a service, such as, for example, a game service, an email service,or a social network service. As an example, a user starts playing a gamewhen the user starts to interact with the game. Also, the game sessionends when a user stops playing a game or when the user logs out of aservice. A user stops playing a game when the user stops interactingwith the game.

In several embodiments, a game service is displayed at a client devicewhen one or more servers execute a game application. A server may be aphysical server or a virtual machine. An application includes a computerprogram. One or more servers execute a game application to generate gamedata. In various embodiments, a social network service is displayed at aclient device when one or more servers execute a social networkapplication. Users use a social network service to chat online withother users, to share posts with web accounts of other users, to postmultimedia to one or more web accounts, or a combination thereof. Insome embodiments, an email service is displayed at a client device thatis operated by a user to send and receive emails from other users.

A logic engine 294 receives the group data 154 and game data, such as,for example, the first game data, the second game data, and the thirdgame data, and processes the group data 154 and the game data togenerate rank data 163, which is suggestion metrics. For example, thelogic engine 294 ranks the first, second, and third games based on thegroup data 154. For example, the logic engine 294 determines that thefirst game is played more frequently by the first user group than eachof the second and third games, the first game is played for a longertime than each of the second and third games during each gaming sessionfor a pre-determined number of gaming sessions, a preview of the firstgame is watched more often than previews of each of the second and thirdgames, the first game is liked by a higher number of users of the firstuser group than a number of users of the first user group that like eachof the second and third games, the first game is disliked by a lessernumber of users of the first user group than a number of users of thefirst user group that dislike each of the second and third games, thefirst game is downloaded for a higher number of times by the users ofthe first user group than a number of times each of the second and thirdgames are downloaded by the users, or a combination thereof. In thisexample, the logic engine 294 assigns a higher rank to the first gamecompared to the second and third games.

As another example, the logic engine 294 determines that the first gameis played by a group of users that are of a same or similar age, same orsimilar relationship status, same or similar interests, same or similarhobbies, same or similar likes, same or similar dislikes, or acombination thereof, as that of a user to whom the first game issuggested for play. In this example, the logic engine 294 determinesthat each of the second and third games is played by a group of usersthat are of a different age, different relationship status, differentinterests, different hobbies, different likes, different dislikes, or acombination thereof, compared to that of a user to whom the first gameis recommended for play. In this example, the logic engine 294 assigns ahigher rank to the first game than to the second and third games.

As yet another example, the logic engine 294 determines that the firstgame is played by a group of users that are of a same or similar age,same or similar relationship status, same or similar interests, same orsimilar hobbies, same or similar likes, same or similar dislikes, or acombination thereof, as that of a user to whom the first game issuggested for play. In this example, the logic engine 294 furtherdetermines that the each of the second and third game is played lessfrequently, previewed for a lesser number of times, downloaded for alower number of times, played for a lesser amount of time during eachgaming session, indicated as liked for a lower number of times,indicated as disliked for a higher number of times, or a combinationthereof, by the group of users compared to the first game. In thisexample, the logic engine 294 assigns a higher rank to the first gamethan to the second and third games.

As an example, two users have a similar parameter when values of theparameter are within a threshold. To illustrate, two users have asimilar age when a first of the two users has an age between 12 and 24and a second of the two users has an age between 12 and 24. As anotherexample, two users have a similar parameter when sub-categories of theparameter are different and the sub-categories fall within one category.To illustrate, two users have a similar hobby when a first of the twousers lists golf as a hobby and a second of the two users lists cricketas a sport in their web accounts that are used to access a socialnetwork service. Both cricket and golf are outdoor real world sports. Asanother illustration, two users have a similar like when a first of thetwo users lists Jackie Chan as his/her favorite actor and a second ofthe two users lists Jet Li as his/her favorite actor. Both Jackie Chanand Jet Li act in martial arts movies.

The rank data 163 is sent via a network 198 to a client device 171 thatis operated by a user 160 ₂. Examples of the network 198 include a widearea network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), or a combinationthereof. To illustrate, the network 198 is the Internet, an Intranet, ora combination thereof. A WAN includes a wireless WAN, a wired WAN, or acombination thereof. Similarly, a LAN includes a wireless LAN, a wiredLAN, or a combination thereof.

A processor of the client device 171 processes the rank data 163 andrenders game data of a game 158 to display an identity of the game 158on a display screen of the client device 171 according to an order ofdisplay. A processor, as used herein, includes a central processing unit(CPU), a microprocessor, an application specific integrated circuit(ASIC), or a programmable logic device (PLD). Examples of a displayscreen include a liquid crystal display (LCD) display screen, a lightemitting diode (LED) display screen, a cathode ray tube (CRT) displayscreen, and a plasma display screen.

The game 158 is displayed in a position that corresponds to a rank ofthe game 158. For example, when the game 158 is an example of the firstgame that is described above, the processor of the client device 171applies the rank data 163 and communicates with a graphical processingunit (GPU) of the client device 171 regarding the application. In thisexample, the processor communicates with the GPU to control the GPU torender the first game data and to render a portion of or to avoidrendering the second and third game data on the display screen of theclient device. As another example, the processor communicates with theGPU to instruct the GPU to display the game 158 as ranked number 1 andthe second and third games as ranked lower than the game 158. As yetanother example, the processor communicates with the GPU to instruct theGPU to render the first game data to display the game 158 as rankednumber 1 and to render a portion of or to avoid rendering the second andthird game data on the display screen of the client device.

Game data is rendered to display an identity of a game. For example, thefirst game data is rendered to display an identity of the game 158.

It should be noted that each of a module and an engine, as used herein,includes a hardware, a software, or a combination thereof. For example,a module or an engine includes a computer program that is executed byone or more processors. As another example, a module or an engineincludes an ASIC or a PLD that performs the operations described hereinas performed by the module. As yet another example, a module or anengine includes one or more processors and one or more memory devicesthat store a computer program that is executed by the one or moreprocessors.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method 150 for determining agame to suggest to a user based on group data 154 (FIG. 1). The method150 is executed by one or more processors of one or more servers of aserver system 298 of FIG. 3A. For example, the method 150 is executed bya server 304 ₁ of FIG. 3A. FIG. 3A is a block diagram of an embodimentof the server system 298 that is coupled with the network 198. FIG. 3Bis a block diagram of an embodiment of an architecture 300 that iscoupled with the server system 298 of FIG. 3A via the network 198.

With reference to FIGS. 2, 3A, and 3B, in an operation 152, the groupdata 154 associated with a first web account group is obtained. Forexample, a network interface controller (NIC) 202 ₁ of the server 304 ₁requests the group attribute data 306 from a server 304 ₂ of the serversystem 298. The servers 304 ₁ and 304 ₂ are parts of the World Wide Web.For example, the server 304 ₁ stores web pages that are requested by aclient device to play a game, the server 304 ₂ stores web pages that arerequested by a client device to use a social network service. Examplesof a NIC include a network interface card and a network adapter.

A NIC 202 ₂ of the server 304 ₂ accesses the group attribute data 306from a memory system 204 ₂ of the server 304 ₂ and sends the groupattribute data 306 via the network 198 to the NIC 202 ₁. As anotherexample, in several embodiments in which the web accounts 1 thru N andthe group attribute data 306 are stored within a memory system 204 ₁ ofthe server 304 ₁ instead of the memory system 204 ₂, a processor 170 ₁of the server 304 ₁ accesses the group attribute data 306 from thememory system 204 ₁ instead of requesting the group attribute data fromthe server 304 ₂. The processor 170 ₁, the NIC 202 ₁, and the memorysystem 204 ₁ are coupled with each other via a bus 171 ₁. Similarly, aprocessor 170 ₂ of the server 304 ₂, the NIC 202 ₂, and the memorysystem 204 ₂ are coupled with each other via a bus 171 ₂.

As used herein, a memory system includes one or more memory devices.Examples of a memory device include a read-only memory (ROM), a randomaccess memory (RAM), or a combination thereof. To illustrate, examplesof a memory device include a flash memory, a disk array, and a harddisk.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the first web account group includes web accounts 1thru N, where N is an integer greater than zero. Each web account is aweb account that a user logs into to access a game. As an example, a webaccount is an email account, a social network service account, a gameservice account, or a combination thereof. A user logs into an emailaccount to access emails and/or to play a game. Moreover, a user logsinto a social network service account to chat with other users of asocial network, to share posts with the other users, to post multimedia,to access multimedia posted by the other users, to play a game, or acombination thereof. Also, a user logs into a game service account toplay a game.

To log into a web account, a user provides user information, such as,for example a user name, a password, a telephone number, an answer to asecurity question, user identifying information, or a combinationthereof, to a client device that is operated by the user and a NIC ofthe client device sends the user information to the server system 298via the network 198. An authentication server 302 of the server system298 authenticates the user information based on information that ispre-stored within the authentication server 302. For example, theauthentication server 302 determines that the user information isauthentic when there is a match between the user information and thepre-stored information. Otherwise, the authentication server 302determines that the user information is unauthentic. When theauthentication server 302 determines that the user information isauthentic, a user who provided the user information logs into a webaccount that is assigned to the user.

In several embodiments, a web account is assigned to a user when thepre-stored information is received from the user with an indication thatthe user is not a bot.

The group data 154 is associated with the first web account group. Forexample, the processor 170 ₂ of the server 304 ₂ receives the groupattribute data 306 from a user and stores the group attribute data 306within a web account that is assigned to the user. To illustrate, a userprovides his/her attributes, e.g., relationship status, age, likes,dislikes, hobbies, interests, or a combination thereof, to a web accountthat is used to access a social network service and the processor 170 ₂stores the attribute data within a web account of the user. In thisillustration, the web account is logged into by the user to access aservice. As another illustration, a user provides his/her attributes toa web account that is used to access a game service and the processor170 ₂ stores the attribute data within a web account of the user. Inthis example, the web account is logged into to access the game servicewithout a need to access the social network service.

As another example of the association of the group data 154 with thefirst web account group, the processor 170 ₁ determines the groupbehavior data 308 from usage of game data by users U1 thru UN of a firstuser group 160 ₁ (shown in FIG. 3B). The users U1 thru UN use game dataafter logging into the web accounts 1 thru N. To illustrate, theprocessor 170 ₁ determines a number of gaming sessions the game 158 isplayed by each user U1 thru UN during a time period, an amount of timeduring each gaming session the first game is played by each user of thefirst user group 160 ₁ for a number of gaming sessions during the timeperiod, a number of downloads of the first game by each user of thefirst user group 160 ₂ during the time period after the user logs into acorresponding one of the web accounts 1 thru N, a number of times apreview of the first game is viewed by each user of the first user group160 ₁ during the time period after the user logs into the correspondingweb account of the user, a number of times the first game is indicatedas being liked by each user of the first user group 160 ₁ within thecorresponding web account of the user during the time period, a numberof times the first game is indicated as being disliked by each user ofthe first user group 160 ₁ within the corresponding web account of theuser during the time period, a number of times a mention of the firstgame is posted within the corresponding web account, and/or whether eachuser of the first user group 160 ₁ paid to play the game 158 after theuser logged into the corresponding web account of the user.

It should be noted that a mention of a game is a positive mention of thegame. For example, a mention of a game includes a statement in whichadvantages of the game are stated. It should further be noted that a webaccount corresponds to a user when the web account is assigned to theuser. In various embodiments, a user mentions a game within a post,during a chat, or a combination thereof. A chat, as used herein, refersto an online chat.

In several embodiments, the users U1 thru UN are social network friendsof the user 160 ₂. For example, the user 160 ₂ uses the client device171 to send a request via a web account 157 to add the users U1 thru UNas social network friends of the user 160 ₂. The web account 157 is aweb account that is assigned to the user 160 ₂. When the users U1 thruUN accept the request, the users U1 thru UN become social networkfriends of the user 160 ₁. Similarly, the user 160 ₂ becomes a networkfriend of the users U1 thru UN when the user 160 ₁ accepts requests sentvia the web accounts 1 thru N to become a social network friend of theusers U1 thru UN. In several embodiments, when the users U1 thru UNbecome social network friends of the user 160 ₂, the users U1 thru UNcan access via the web accounts 1 thru N, multimedia that is posted bythe user 160 ₂ in his/her web account 171 and that is restricted fromaccess by anyone other than social network friends of the user 160 ₂.

In various embodiments, the users U1 thru UN are acquaintances, friends,or family members of the user 160 ₂ for whom the user 160 ₂ has emailaddresses. In some embodiments, the users U1 thru UN are acquaintances,friends, or family members of the user 160 ₂ for whom the user 160 ₂ hasuser information that allows the user 160 ₂ to use a game service tocontact the users U1 thru UN.

In a number of embodiments, a user downloads a game at a client devicevia a network from a server, such as the server 304 ₁. A NIC of theclient device requests game data from the server 304 ₁. The NIC 202 ₁sends the game data to a NIC of the client device to allow the NIC todownload the game. The GPU of the client device renders the game data todisplay a game. In some embodiments, a game is previewed when afterdownloading a portion the game at a client device, a GPU of the clientdevice renders a portion of game data to display the portion of thegame. In several embodiments, a user indicates a game as being liked ordisliked by logging into a web account of the user and selecting an iconthat is displayed within selecting an icon within a service, such as thesocial network service, the gaming service, or the email service.

Referring to FIG. 2, in an operation 162, the game 158 is identifiedwithin a group of multiple games to suggest to the user 160 ₂ (FIG. 1).The game 158 is identified based on the group data 154 (FIG. 1). Forexample, the game 158 is identified based on data regarding the users U1thru UN, data regarding the user 160 ₂, data regarding use of the game158 by the user 160 ₂, data regarding use of the game 158 by the usersU1 thru UN, data regarding use of games other than game 158 by the usersU1 thru UN, or a combination thereof. To illustrate, if the users U1thru UN and the user 160 ₂ have the same or similar age, the same orsimilar gender, the same or similar relationship status, the same orsimilar interests, the same or similar hobbies, the same or similarlikes, the same or similar dislikes, or a combination thereof, the game158, which is played by the users U1 thru UN, is identified to the user160 ₂ at the client device 171.

As another illustration, if each user U1 thru UN:

(a) plays the game 158 for a higher number of gaming sessions than anumber of gaming sessions for which the other games are played by theuser at a corresponding one of the client devices 168, or(b) plays the game 158 for a longer time than an amount of time forwhich the other games are played by the user during each gaming sessionfor a pre-determined number of gaming sessions, or(c) watches previews of the game 158 more often than previews of theother games are watched by the user, or(d) has indicated the game 158 as being liked for a higher number oftimes than a number of times for which the other games are indicated asbeing liked by the user,(e) has indicated the game 158 as being disliked for a lower number oftimes than a number of times for which the other games are indicated asbeing disliked by the user, or(f) has downloaded the game 158 to a corresponding one of the clientdevices 168 operated by the user for a higher number of times than anumber of times the other games are downloaded to the client device, or(g) has mentioned the game 158 within a corresponding one of the webaccounts 1 thru N of the user for a higher number of times thanmentioning the other games within the web account, or(h) paid to play the game 158 after the user logs into the correspondingweb account, or(i) paid a higher amount to play the game 158 compared to the othergames, or(j) a combination thereof,the game 158 is identified to the user 160 ₂ at the client device 171.It should be noted that a client device corresponds to a user when theuser operates the client device to access a web account of the user.

As yet another illustration, if each user U1 thru UN:

(a) plays the game 158 for a higher number of gaming sessions than anumber of gaming sessions for which the game 158 is played by the user160 ₂ at the client device 171, or(b) plays the game 158 for a longer time than an amount of time forwhich the game 158 is played by the user 160 ₂ at the client device 171during each gaming session for a pre-determined number of gamingsessions, or(c) watches previews of the game 158 more often than previews of thegame 158 are watched by the user 160 ₂, or(d) has indicated the game 158 as being liked for a higher number oftimes than a number of times for which the game 158 is indicated asbeing liked by the user 160 ₂, or(e) has indicated the game 158 as being disliked for a lower number oftimes than a number of times for which the game 158 is indicated asbeing disliked by the user 160 ₂, or(f) has downloaded the game 158 to a corresponding one of the clientdevices 168 for a higher number of times than a number of times the game158 is downloaded to the client device 171 by the user 160 ₂, or(g) has mentioned the game 158 within the web accounts 1 thru N for ahigher number of times than a number of times for which the game 158 ismentioned within the web account 157 by the user 160 ₂, or(h) a combination thereof,the game 158 is identified to the user 160 ₂ at the client device 171.

As another illustration, if each user U1 thru UN:

(a) has the same or similar age as that of the user 160 ₂, or(b) has the same or similar gender as that of the user 160 ₂, or(c) has the same or similar relationship status as that of the user 160₂, or(d) has the same or similar interests as that of the user 160 ₂, or(e) has the same or similar hobbies as that of the user 160 ₂, or(f) has the same or similar likes as that of the user 160 ₂, or(g) has the same or similar dislikes as that of the user 160 ₂, or(h) plays the game 158 for a higher number of gaming sessions than anumber of gaming sessions for which other games are played by the one ofthe users U1 thru UN at a corresponding one of the client devices 168,or(i) plays the game 158 for a longer time than an amount of time forwhich the other games are played by the one of the users U1 thru UNduring each gaming session for a pre-determined number of gamingsessions, or(j) watches previews of the game 158 more often than previews of theother games are watched by the one of the users U1 thru UN, or(k) has indicated the game 158 as being liked for a higher number oftimes than a number of times for which the other games are indicated asbeing liked by the one of the users U1 thru UN, or(l) has indicated the game 158 as being disliked for a lower number oftimes than a number of times for which the other games are indicated asbeing disliked by the one of the users U1 thru UN, or(m) has downloaded the game 158 to a corresponding one of the clientdevices 168 for a higher number of times than a number of times theother games are downloaded to the corresponding one of the clientdevices 168, or(n) has mentioned the game 158 within a corresponding one of the webaccounts 1 thru N for a higher number of times than mentioning the othergames within the corresponding one of the web accounts 1 thru N, or(o) paid to play the game 158 after logging into the corresponding oneof the web accounts 1 thru N, or(p) paid a higher amount to play the game 158 compared to the othergames, or(q) plays the game 158 for a higher number of gaming sessions than anumber of gaming sessions for which the game 158 is played by the user160 ₂ at the client device 171, or(r) plays the game 158 for a longer time than an amount of time forwhich the game 158 is played by the user 160 ₂ at the client device 171during each gaming session for a pre-determined number of gamingsessions, or(s) watches previews of the game 158 more often than previews of thegame 158 are watched by the user 160 ₂, or(t) has indicated the game 158 as being liked for a higher number oftimes than a number of times for which the game 158 is indicated asbeing liked by the user 160 ₂, or(u) has indicated the game 158 as being disliked for a lower number oftimes than a number of times for which the game 158 is indicated asbeing disliked by the user 160 ₂, or(v) has downloaded the game 158 to the corresponding one of the clientdevices 168 for a higher number of times than a number of times the game158 is downloaded to the client device 171 by the user 160 ₂, or(w) has mentioned the game 158 within the corresponding one of the webaccounts 1 thru N for a higher number of times than a number of timesfor which the game 158 is mentioned within the web account 157 by theuser 160 ₂, or(x) a combination thereof,the game 158 is identified to the user 160 ₂ at the client device 171.

In various embodiments, in the preceding illustration, instead of anumber of times, an average of a number of times is used. For example,instead of determining whether the game 158 is played for a longer timethan an amount of time for which the other games are played by each userU1 thru UN during each gaming session for a pre-determined number ofgaming sessions, it is determined whether an average amount of time forwhich each user U1 thru UN plays the game 158 is longer than an averageamount of time for which the other games are played by the user duringeach gaming session for a pre-determined number of gaming sessions. Asanother example, instead of determining whether each user U1 thru UN hasindicated the game 158 as being liked for a higher number of times thana number of times for which the other games are indicated as being likedby the user, the number of times for which each user U1 thru UN hasindicated the game 158 as being liked is averaged to generate a firstaverage and the number of times for which each user U1 thru UN hasindicated the other games as being liked is averaged to generate asecond average, and it is determined whether the first average isgreater than the second average.

Also, in some embodiments, in the preceding illustration, instead of thecombination, a weighted combination is used. For example, whether eachuser U1 thru UN paid to play the game 158 after the user U1 thru UNlogged into a corresponding one of the web accounts 1 thru N of the useris assigned a higher weight than a weight assigned to whether each userU1 thru UN has mentioned the game 158 within the corresponding webaccount of the user for a higher number of times than mentioning theother games within the corresponding web account. As another example, afactor of whether each user U1 thru UN has indicated the game 158 asbeing disliked for a lower number of times than a number of times forwhich the other games are indicated as being disliked by the user isassigned a higher weight than a weight assigned to a factor of whetherthe user plays the game 158 for a longer time than an amount of time forwhich the game 158 is played by the user 160 ₂ at the client device 171during each gaming session for a pre-determined number of gamingsessions.

In various embodiments, in the preceding illustration, instead of or inaddition to the determination that each user U1 thru UN plays the game158 for a longer time than an amount of time for which the other gamesare played by the user during each gaming session for a pre-determinednumber of gaming sessions, it is determined that an item within the game158 has a higher magnitude than an item within each of the other games.For example, an energy level within a play of the game 158 is higherthan an energy level within a play of each of the second and thirdgames. As another example, a number of virtual coins or pointsaccumulated within a play of the game 158 is greater than a number ofvirtual points or coins within a play of each of the second and thirdgames. Other examples of an item include virtual wood, virtual stars,game level, virtual food, virtual crops, etc.

In various embodiments, items include collectibles and virtualcurrencies, such as, for example, virtual coins. An item that is not avirtual currency is a collectible. For example, virtual wood, virtualstars, game level, virtual food, and virtual crops are collectibles.

In several embodiments, a use of a game includes watching a preview ofthe game, playing the game, downloading the game, paying to play thegame, indicating the game as liked, indicating the game as disliked,mentioning the game, or a combination thereof.

Referring to FIG. 3A, the game 158 is identified when the processor 170₁ selects data that is rendered to display a name of the game and/or alogo of the game 158. Any data identifying of the game 158, such as, forexample data that is rendered to display a name of the game 158 and/orlogo of the game 158, is stored by the processor 170 ₁ in the webaccount 157 of the user 160 ₂.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3A, and 3B, in an operation 166, the dataidentifying the game 158 is sent by the NIC 202 ₁ via the network 198 tothe client device 171. For example, when the user 160 ₂ logs into theweb account 157 to play a game, the NIC of the client device 171 obtainsthe data identifying the game 158 from the server 304 ₁. Upon receivingthe data identifying the game 158, the GPU of the client device 171renders the data identifying the game 158 to display an identity of thegame 158 on a display screen 193 of the client device 171. For example,a name and/or a logo of the game 158 is displayed.

In several embodiments, a message that includes an identity of the game158 is displayed. As an example, the GPU of the client device 171renders data conveying a message to display the message on the displayscreen 193. An example of the message includes a statement indicatingthat a number of the users U1 thru UN are playing the game 158. Anotherexample of the message includes a statement indicating that a number ofthe users U1 thru UN are playing the game 158 and there is a discountoffered to the user 160 ₂ for playing the game 158. Yet another exampleof the message includes a statement indicating that a number of theusers U1 thru UN are playing the game, that there is a discount offeredto the user 160 ₂ for playing the game 158, and social contexts of thesocial network friends of the user 160 ₂. Examples of a social contextinclude an identification of an entity that offers a social networkservice to one or more of the users U1 thru UN. Examples of anidentification of an entity that develops and/or provides a socialnetwork service includes a name of the entity, a logo of the entity, ora combination thereof. Examples of an entity include a corporation and apartnership.

With reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B, one or more users U1 thru UN of thefirst user group 160 ₁ play the game 158. The game 158 is played by theone or more users U1 thru UN after logging in the web accounts 1 thru N,which may be email accounts, social network service accounts, or gameservice accounts. The web accounts 1 thru N and 157 are parts of asocial network 182 ₁, which is created when a social network applicationis executed by the processor 170 ₂ to provide a social network serviceat the client devices 1 thru N and 171. The social network 182 ₁ iscontrolled by one entity.

A game is played at a client device when game data that is sent by theNIC 202 ₁ via the network 198 to the client device is rendered by a GPUof the client device. In several embodiments, a NIC of a client devicerequests game data from the NIC 202 ₁ to allow a user to play a game.Upon receiving the request, game data is sent by the NIC 202 ₁ via thenetwork 198 to a client device to allow a user that operates the clientdevice to play a game.

Based on the group behavior data 308 and/or the group attribute data306, the processor 170 ₂ generates the rank data 163, which is stored inthe memory system 204 ₁. The rank data 163 ranks the game 158 within agroup of games, such as the first, second, and third games.

When the user 160 ₂ uses the client device 171 to log into the webaccount 157 to play a game, such as, for example, a game that isdifferent than the game 158, the NIC 202 ₁ sends the rank data 163 ₁ tothe NIC of the client device 171. The GPU of the client device 171renders the rank data 163 ₁ to display a rank of the game 158 and todisplay ranks of the other games, such as, for example the second andthird games. For example, the game 158 is displayed as ranked firstcompared to ranks of the other games. As another example, the GPU of theclient device 171 displays an identity of the game 158 and displaysportions of identities, such as, for example, portions of logos orportions of names, of the other games to indicate to the user 158 thatthe game 158 is ranked higher than the other games. The user 160 ₂ seesthe ranks of the other games and the game 158 and may be tempted to playthe game 158. The method 150 ends after the operation 196.

In various embodiments, instead of the processor 170 ₂, the processor170 ₁ determines the group attribute data 306 when the web accounts 1thru N and 157 are game service accounts and when the web accounts 1thru N and 157 are stored within one or more servers that are controlledby the same entity that controls the server 304 ₁.

In several embodiments, the servers 304 ₁ and 304 ₂ are controlled bythe same entity. For example, both servers 304 ₁ and 304 ₂ arecontrolled by an entity that develops games. In a number of embodiments,the server 304 ₁ is controlled by an entity that is other than an entitythat controls the server 304 ₂. For example, the server 304 ₁ iscontrolled by an entity that develops games and the server 304 ₂ iscontrolled by an entity that develops a social network service. Asanother example, the server 304 ₁ is controlled by an entity thatdevelops games and the server 304 ₂ is controlled by an entity thatdevelops an email service.

In various embodiments, an entity controls a server when the entityleases or owns server to use the server for executing a computerprogram. In these embodiments, the first web account group, the webaccount 158, and the group attribute data 306 are stored within thememory system 204 ₁ instead of the memory system 204 ₂.

In several embodiments, one or more of the web accounts 1 thru N is adifferent type of web account than the remaining of the web accounts 1thru N. For example, the web account 1 is an email account and the webaccount N is a game service account. As another example, the web account1 is a social network service account and the web account 2 is an emailaccount.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of an embodiment of a network architecture thatillustrates use of different web accounts that are associated withdifferent networks 182 ₁ thru 182 _(N) and 183. For example, each webaccount 1 thru N and 157 is generated within a different network. Inthis example, the web account 157 is generated within the network 183,the web account 1 is generated within the network 182 ₁, the web account2 is generated within the network 182 ₂, and so on until the web accountN is generated within the network 182 _(N).

In several embodiments, each network 182 ₁ thru 182 _(N) and 183 is of adifferent type. For example, the network 182 ₁ is a social network, thenetwork 182 ₂ is a game network, and the network 183 is an emailnetwork.

In various embodiments, two or more of the networks 182 and 183 are ofthe same type and are networks that are controlled by differententities. For example, the network 182 ₁ is a social network that iscontrolled by a first entity and the network 183 is a social networkthat is controlled by a second entity, which is other than the firstentity.

In some embodiments, two or more of the networks 182 and 183 are ofdifferent types and are networks that are controlled by differententities. For example, the network 182 ₁ is a social network that iscontrolled by an entity that develops the social network and the network183 is a game network that is controlled by an entity that developsgames.

In several embodiments, two or more of the networks 182 and 183 are ofdifferent types and are networks that are controlled by the same entity.For example, the network 182 ₁ is a social network and the network 183is a game network and both the networks are controlled by the sameentity.

A game network is formed when one or more processors of one or moreservers execute a game application to provide a game service at one ormore client devices. The game service is accessed by a user via anaccount, such as a game service account, to play a game.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of an embodiment of a compare logic module 205 thatcompares data received from one or more databases to determine a rank ofa game. In several embodiments, the compare logic module 205 is executedby the processor 170 ₁ (FIG. 3A).

The compare logic module 205 receives data 172 regarding the first usergroup 160 ₁ (FIG. 3B), data 174 regarding the user 160 ₂ (FIG. 3B), data176 regarding use of the game 158 by the first user group 160 ₁, data178 regarding use of the game 158 by the user 160 ₂, and/or data 180regarding use of the other games by the first user group 160 ₁. In someembodiments, the compare logic module 205 compares the data 172regarding the users U1 thru UN of the first user group 160 ₁ with data174 regarding the user 160 ₂ to determine whether a value of parameterof the user 160 ₂ and one or more values of the parameter of the firstuser group 160 ₁ are the same or similar. For example, the compare logicmodule 205 determines whether an age of the user 160 ₂ is the same orsimilar to that of ages of the users U1 thru UN. As another example, thecompare logic module 205 determines whether likes of the user 160 ₂ arethe same or similar to likes of the users U1 thru UN.

Moreover, in various embodiments, the compare logic module 205 comparesthe data 176 regarding use of the game 158 by the first user group 160 ₁with data 178 regarding use of the game 158 by the user 160 ₂. Forexample, a number of gaming sessions for which the game 158 is played bythe first user group 160 ₁ is compared with a number of gaming sessionsfor which the game 158 is played by the user 160 ₂. As another example,a number of times for which the game 158 is indicated as being liked bythe users U1 thru UN is compared with a number of times for which thegame 158 is indicated as being liked by the user 160 ₂.

In some embodiments, the compare logic 205 compares the data 176regarding use of the game 158 by the first user group 160 ₁ with data180 regarding use of the other games by the first user group 160 ₁. Forexample, a number of gaming sessions for which the game 158 is played bythe first user group 160 ₁ is compared with a number of gaming sessionsfor which each of the other games are played by the first user group 160₁. As another example, an amount of time for which the game 158 isplayed by the first user group 160 ₁ for a pre-determined number ofgaming sessions is compared with an amount of time for which each of theother games is played by the first user group 160 ₁ for thepre-determined number of gaming sessions.

The data 176 includes data 181 regarding receipt of payment from thefirst user group 160 ₁ to play the game 158 and the data 180 includesdata 183 regarding receipt of payment from the first user group 160 ₁ toplay the other games. For example, the processor 170 ₁ (FIG. 3A)determines whether the users U1 thru UN have paid to play the game 158and have not paid to play the other games. In various embodiments, apayment to play a game is received in the form of fiat money, credit,virtual currency, or a combination thereof. In response to determiningthat the users U1 thru UN have not paid to play the other games and havepaid to play the game 158, the processor 170 ₁ determines to rank thegame 158 higher than the other games. On the other hand, in response todetermining that the users U1 thru UN have paid to play the other gamesand have not paid to play the game 158, the processors 170 ₁ determinesto rank the game 158 lower than the other games.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method 190 for generatingthe rank data 163 (FIG. 1). The method 190 is executed by one or moreprocessors of one or more servers. For example, the method 190 isexecuted by the processors 170 ₁ and 170 ₂ (FIG. 3A). As anotherexample, the method 190 is executed by the processor 170 ₁ when the webaccounts 1 thru N and 157 and the group attribute data 306 are storedwithin the memory system 204 ₁ (FIG. 3A).

The operation 152 is performed. In an operation 192, the rank data 163is generated based on the group data 154 (FIG. 1). The rank data 163 isgenerated to rank the game 158 with respect to the other games.

Moreover, in an operation 194, the rank data 163 is associated with theweb account 157 of the user 160 ₂. For example, the rank data 163 isdesignated, such as, for example tagged, by the processor 170 ₁ to besent by the NIC 202 ₁ to a client device that is used to access the webaccount 157 of the user 160 ₂. In an operation 196, the rank data 193 issent by the NIC 202 ₁ via the network 198 (FIG. 3A) to the client device171 when the client device 171 is used by the user 160 ₂ to access theweb account 157. The method 190 ends after the operation 196.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of an embodiment of the display screen 193 of theclient device 171 (FIG. 3B) to illustrate ranking of games when a socialnetwork service is used to play the games. The user 160 ₂ accesses awebsite of a game developer that develops the game 158 (FIG. 3B). Forexample, the user 160 ₂ provides, via an input device, of the clientdevice 171, an address of a webpage of the game developer. Examples ofan input device include a keyboard, a mouse, a stylus, and atouchscreen.

The NIC of the client device 171 sends the address via the network 198to the NIC 202 ₁ of the server system 298 (FIG. 3A). Upon receiving theaddress from the NIC 202 ₁, the processor 170 ₁ instructs the NIC 202 ₁to send web page data to the client device 171 via the network 198.

Upon receiving the web page data via the NIC of the client device 171,the GPU of the client device 171 renders the web page data to display aweb page on the display screen 193. The web page prompts the user 160 ₂to provide the user information. Upon receiving the user informationfrom the user 160 ₂ via the input device of the client device 171, theNIC of the client device 171 sends the user information via the network198 to the authentication server 302 (FIG. 3A).

Upon receiving the user information, the authentication server 302authenticates the user information and the user 160 ₂ logs into the webaccount 157 (FIG. 3A). When the user information is authenticated, a NICof the authentication server 302 sends an indication of theauthentication to the client device 171 via the network 198. Also, whenthe user information is authenticated, the NIC 202 ₁ sends the rank data163, message data, the first game data (FIG. 3A), a portion of thesecond game data, and a portion of the third game data to the clientdevice 171. Moreover, when the user information is authenticated, theNIC 202 ₂ of the server 304 ₂ sends social network data via the network198 to the client device 171.

Upon receiving the indication of the authentication via the NIC of theclient device 171, the GPU of the client device 171 renders a portion ofthe social network data to display a social network interface 210, andrenders the rank data 163, the message data, the first game data, theportion of the second game data, and the portion of the third game datato display a rank interface portion 212, and renders another portion ofthe social network data to display a social network interface portion214. In several embodiments, the service network window 210 is anexample of a display of the web account 157 (FIG. 3A).

The social network interface 210 includes images of social networkfriends of the user 160 ₂ who recently played the game 158. The socialnetwork interface 210 further includes a button that allows the user 160₂ to invite the social network friends to play the game 158. Also, thesocial network interface 210 includes an image of the user 160 ₂.

In several embodiments, the social network interface 210 includesmultimedia, other than images, to represent social network friends ofthe user 160 ₂ and the user 160 ₂. Moreover, in some embodiments, thesocial network interface 210 includes a different number of images of adifferent number of social network friends than that shown in FIG. 7.

The rank interface portion 212 displays a rank of the game 158 comparedto ranks of the second and third games. For example, the rank interfaceportion 212 displays an identity of the game 158 and avoids displayingan identity of the second and third games. The identity of the game 158is displayed within an interface portion 218 and interface portions 220and 216 that lack any identity of the second and third games indicate tothe user 160 ₂ that the second and third games are ranked below the game158. Also, the rank interface portion 212 displays a message that anumber z of social network friends of the user 1602 played the game 158.Moreover, the message within the rank interface portion 212 includes asocial context of the social network friends. For example, a networkidentifier (NI) portion 214 includes an identity of a social context ofthe social network friends of the user 160 ₂. Examples of an identity ofa social context include a name of an entity that provides a socialnetwork service and a logo of the entity.

The social network interface portion 214 includes images of socialnetwork users who are not social network friends of the user 160 ₂. Thesocial network portion 214 also includes an identity of the game 158that is played by the social network users.

In various embodiments, the message of the rank interface portion 212includes identities of more than one social context. For example, themessage includes that z social network friends of the user 160 ₂ playedthe game 158 and v social network friends of the user 160 ₂ played thegame 158. The number v represents a number of social network friendsthat use a social network service that is controlled by a first entity.The first entity is different than a second entity that controls asocial network service that is used by the z number of friends to playthe game 158.

In several embodiments, the number z is displayed when the user 160 ₂ islogged into a web account that allows access to a first service, whichis used by the z number of users to play the game 158. In theseembodiments, the number v is displayed when the user 160 ₂ is loggedinto a web account that allows access to a second service, which is usedby the v number of users to play the game 158. In these embodiments, theweb account that allows access to the first service or the web accountthat allows access to the second service is an example of the webaccount 157. In various embodiments, the numbers v and z are displayedwhen the user 160 ₂ logs into the same web account 157 (FIG. 3A).

FIG. 8 is a diagram of an embodiment of the display screen 193 of theclient device 171 (FIG. 3B) to provide another illustration of rankingof games when a social network service is used to play the games. Thedisplay screen 193 displays interface portions 210 and 214. In addition,the display screen 193 displays a rank interface portion 222. The rankinterface portion 222 is generated in a manner similar to that ofgeneration of rank interface portion 212 of FIG. 7. The rank interfaceportion 222 includes a numeric ranking, such as 1, 2, and 3, of thefirst, second, and third games. The rank interface portion 222 includesan identity of the game 158, an identity of the second game, and anidentity of the third game. Also, a message within the rank interfaceportion 222 includes a social context of the social network friends ofthe user 160 ₂.

In various embodiments, the message of the rank interface portion 222includes identities of more than one social context. For example, themessage within the rank interface portion 222 includes that z socialnetwork friends of the user 160 ₂ played the game 158 by using a socialnetwork that is controlled by a first entity and v social networkfriends of the user 160 ₂ played the game 158 by using a second socialnetwork that is controlled by a second entity.

In several embodiments, instead of the numeric ranking, an alphanumericranking is used. For example, an alphanumeric ranking, such as, forexample, A, B, C is used.

FIG. 9 is a diagram of an embodiment of the display screen 193 of theclient device 171 (FIG. 3B) to provide an illustration of ranking ofgames when a game service is used to play the games. The user 160 ₂accesses a website of the game developer. The NIC of the client device171 sends an address of the website via the network 198 to the NIC 202 ₁of the server system 298 (FIG. 3A). Upon receiving the address from theNIC 202 ₁, the processor 170 ₁ instructs the NIC 202 ₁ to send web pagedata to the client device 171 via the network 198.

Upon receiving the web page data via the NIC of the client device 171,the GPU of the client device 171 renders the web page data to display aweb page on the display screen 193. The web page prompts the user 160 ₂to provide the user information, which is authenticated by theauthentication server 302.

When the user information is authenticated, the user 160 ₂ logs into theweb account 157 (FIG. 3A). Also, when the user information isauthenticated, a NIC of the authentication server 302 sends anindication of the authentication to the client device 171 via thenetwork 198. Moreover, when the user information is authenticated, theNIC 202 ₁ of the server 304 ₁ sends the rank data 163, message data, thefirst game data (FIG. 3A), a portion of the second game data, and aportion of the third game data to the client device 171.

Upon receiving the indication of the authentication via the NIC of theclient device 171, the GPU of the client device 171 renders the rankdata 163, the message data, the first game data, the portion of thesecond game data, and the portion of the third game data to display arank interface portion 224.

The rank interface portion 224 displays a rank of the game 158 comparedto ranks of the second and third games. Also, the rank interface portion224 displays a message that the number z of social network friends ofthe user 160 ₂ are playing the game 158. Moreover, the message withinthe rank interface portion 224 includes the network identifier portion214 that includes an identity of a social context of the social networkfriends of the user 160 ₂.

In various embodiments, the message of the rank interface portion 224includes identities of more than one social context. For example, themessage includes that z social network friends of the user 160 ₂ playedthe game 158 by using a first social network service and v socialnetwork friends of the user 160 ₂ played the game 158 by using a secondsocial network service. In several embodiments, the first social networkservice is controlled and/or developed by an entity that is differentthan another entity. The other entity controls and/or develops thesecond social network service.

It should be noted that in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 9, thereis no need for the user 160 ₂ to access a social network account to playa game. For example, in this embodiment, the web account 157 is not asocial network account. Rather, in the embodiment of FIG. 9, a gameservice account is accessed. A game service account is controlled andmaintained by the game developer.

FIG. 10 is a diagram of an embodiment of the display screen 193 of theclient device 171 (FIG. 3B) to provide another illustration of rankingof games when a game service is used to play the games. The displayscreen 193 displays a rank interface portion 226. The rank interfaceportion 226 is generated in a manner similar to that of generation ofrank interface portion 224 (FIG. 9). The rank interface portion 226includes a numeric ranking, such as 1, 2, and 3, of the first, second,and third games. The rank interface portion 226 also includes anidentity of the game 158, an identity of the second game, and anidentity of the third game. Also, a message within the rank interfaceportion 226 includes a social context of the social network friends ofthe user 160 ₂.

In various embodiments, the message of the rank interface portion 226includes identities of more than one social context. For example, themessage includes that z social network friends of the user 160 ₂ playedthe game 158 by using the first social network service and v socialnetwork friends of the user 160 ₂ played the game 158 by using thesecond social network service.

It should be noted that in various embodiments, at a time the rankinterface portions 212, 222, 224, and 226 are displayed on the displayscreen 193, the user 160 ₂ is not playing or is about to play a game,such as, for example one of the other games, on the display screen 193.In some embodiments, at a time the rank interface portions 212, 222,224, and 226 are displayed on the display screen 193, the user 1602 isplaying a game, other than the game 158, on the display screen 193.

FIG. 11 is a diagram of an embodiment of the display screen 193 thatdisplays multiple game web pages 254, 256, 258, and 260 to illustrateranking of the game 158 with respect to the other games. When the user160 ₂ logs into the web account 157 (FIG. 3A), the NIC 202 ₁ of theserver 304 ₁ sends data identifying the game 158 and social context datathat is associated with the game 158 via the network 198 to the clientdevice 171.

The GPU of the client device 171 renders the data identifying the game158 to display an identity of the game 158 and renders the socialcontext data to display a number of social network friends of the user160 ₂ using the first social network service to play the game 158 and anumber of social network friends of the user 160 ₂ using the secondsocial network service to play the game 158. The identity of the game158, the number v, and the number z are displayed within the game webpage 254. In several embodiments, instead of the first social networkservice, a game service or an email service is identified and/or insteadof the second network service, a game service or an email service isidentified.

When the GPU of the client device 171 is displaying the game web page254, the user 160 ₂ selects via the input device of the client device171, a multimedia 252 that is displayed on the game web page 254. Whenthe multimedia 252 is selected, the NIC of the client device 171 sendsan indication of the selection via the network 198 to the server 304 ₁(FIG. 3A). In response to receiving the indication, the NIC 202 ₁ sendsdata identifying the game 158 and data identifying the other games viathe network 198 to the client device 171. The GPU of the client device171 renders the data identifying the game 158 to display an identity ofthe game 158 within the game web page 256 on the display screen 193 andrenders the data identifying the other games to display identities ofthe other games within the game web page 256.

The identities of the game 158 and the other games are displayed in anorder to illustrate a ranking of the game 158 with respect to the othergames. For example, a game 1 identifier that is the identity of the game158 is displayed above a game 2 identifier, a game 3 identifier, and agame 4 identifier. The game 2 identifier identifies the second game, thegame 3 identifier identifies the third game, and the game 4 identifieridentifies a fourth game. The fourth game is one of the other games.

The user 160 can select the identity of the game 158 to download andplay the game 158, can select the identity of one of the other games todownload and play the other game.

Similarly, in some embodiments, after logging into the web account 157,the user 160 ₂ is playing the second game as indicated by the game 2identifier within the game web page 258 in FIG. 11 or is playing thethird game as indicated by the game 3 identifier within the game webpage 260 in FIG. 11. When the user 160 ₂ selects the multimedia 252, thegame web page 256 that includes the identity of the game 158 andidentities of the other games is displayed on the display screen 193.

It should be noted that although an order of display of the game 158 andthe other games is shown in FIG. 11, in some embodiments, another orderis used. For example, although the game 1 identifier is display at thetop within the game web page 256 of the display screen 193, game 2 andgame 3 identifiers are displayed in the middle within the game web page256 of the display screen 193, and a game 4 identifier is displayed atthe bottom within the game web page 256 of the display screen 193, insome embodiments, the game 1 identifier is displayed at the left withinthe game web page 256 and game 2, 3, and 4 identifiers are displayedwithin the game web page 256 at the right of the display screen 193.

Also, as visible in FIG. 11, the game 1 identifier is larger in sizethan the game 2, 3, and 4 identifiers within the game web page 256. Asize of display of a game identifier is based on a ranking of a gamethat is identified using the game identifier. For example, the gameidentifier 1 is the largest in size among the games identifiers 1 thru 4when the first game is ranked the highest among the first thru fourthgames.

In a number of embodiments, the display screen 193 displays any numberof games, other than four, when the multimedia 252 is selected by theuser 160 ₂.

FIG. 12 is a diagram of an embodiment of the display screen 193 thatdisplays multiple game web pages 258, 260, and 262 to provide anotherillustration of ranking of the game 158 with respect to the other games.When the user 160 ₂ selects the multimedia 252 on the web page 258, theGPU of the client device 171 renders the game web page 262 that displaysthe identities of the first, second, third, and fourth games in an orderdifferent than that shown in FIG. 11. The game 1 identifier is displayedat the left of the display screen 193, the game 2 identifier and thegame 3 identifier are displayed at the right of the display screen 193,and the game 4 identifier are shown at the bottom of the display screen193. The game 4 identifier is displayed below the game 1, 2, and 3identifiers. The size of the game 1 identifier compared to the game 2,3, and 4 identifies indicates that the first game is ranked higher thanthe games 2, 3, and 4.

FIG. 13 is a diagram of an embodiment of the display screen 193 thatdisplays a pattern 270 of circles to illustrate a suggestion of the game158. The GPU of the client device 171 displays the pattern 270 after theuser 160 ₂ has logged into the web account 157 and has not used theclient device 171 for a preset period of time (FIG. 3B). When thepattern 270 is displayed, the NIC 202 ₁ (FIG. 3A) sends message data viathe network 198 to the NIC of the client device 171.

Upon receiving the message data via the NIC of the client device 171,the GPU of the client device 171 renders the message data to display amessage 272 at the top of the display screen 193. The message 272invokes curiosity of the user 160 ₂ to find out an identity of a gamethat gamers, such as, for example, the users U1 thru UN, are playing.When the user 1602 unlocks the pattern 270 via the input device of theclient device 171 and selects the message 272 via the input device, aweb page 274 is displayed on the display screen 193 by the GPU of theclient device 171. The web page 274 includes a message that conveys thatthe gamers are playing the first game and provides a Uniform ResourceLocator (URL) that can be selected by the user 160 ₂ to play the firstgame.

FIG. 14 is a diagram of an embodiment of the display screen 193 thatdisplays the pattern 270 of circles to provide another illustration of asuggestion of the game 158. When the pattern 270 is displayed, the NIC202 ₁ (FIG. 3A) sends message data via the network 198 to the NIC of theclient device 171.

Upon receiving the message data via the NIC of the client device 171,the GPU of the client device 171 renders the message data to display amessage 276 at the top of the display screen 193. The message 276indicates to the user 160 ₂ that his/her social network friends areplaying the game 158. When the user 160 ₂ unlocks the pattern 270 viathe input device of the client device 171 and selects the message 272via the input device, a web page 278 is displayed on the display screenby the GPU of the client device 171. The web page 278 includes a messagethat provides a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that can be selected bythe user 160 ₂ to play the first game.

In several embodiments, instead of displaying the pattern 270 in FIGS.13 and 14, a news web page that shows news, a shopping web page thatshows shopping items, a search results web page that shows results of aweb search, a search query web page that shows a search engine, or anyother web page available on the World Wide Web, is displayed.

FIG. 15 is a diagram of an embodiment of multiple graphs 302, 304, and306 used to illustrate a dynamic change in use of the game 158. Thegraph 302 plots a use of the game 158 by the users U1 thru UN of thefirst user group 160 ₁ (FIG. 3B) versus time t. The use of the game 158is dynamically changing over time. For example, the use of the game 158at a time t1 is below a use limit and the use of the game 158 at a timet2 is above the use limit. The processor 170 ₁ (FIG. 3A) determines atthe time t1 that the use is below the use limit and avoids generatingthe rank data 163 to rank the game 158 with respect to the other games.Moreover, the processor 1701 determines at the time t2 that the use isabove the use limit, generates the rank data 163, and sends the rankdata 163 to the client device 171 (FIG. 3B).

As shown in the graph 304, the use of the game 158 by the users U1 thruUN increases linearly after a time t3. The processor 170 ₁ determinesafter the time t3 that the use increased linearly after the time t3 andincreases, after the time t3, a frequency with which the rank data 163is sent by the NIC 202 ₁ to the client device 171. The GPU of the clientdevice 171 renders the rank data 163 to display a rank of the game 158with respect to the other games each time the rank data 163 is receivedby the NIC of the client device 171. The frequency is increased comparedto a frequency of sending the rank data 163 before the time t3.

Also, as shown in the graph 306, the use of the game 158 decreaseslinearly after a time t4. The processor 170 ₁ determines after the timet4 that the use decreased linearly after the time t4 and decreases,after the time t4, a frequency with which the rank data 163 is sent bythe NIC 202 ₁ to the client device 171. The frequency is decreasedcompared to a frequency of sending the rank data 163 before the time t4.

In several embodiments, instead of the linear change in the frequencyshown in the graphs 304 and 306, there is an exponential or a stepfunction change in the frequency.

In some embodiments, the change in use after the times t3 and t4 is aresult of an application by the processor 170 ₁ of different factors todetermine the use compared to before the times t3 and t4. For example,the processor 170 ₁ applies a first combination of factors to determineuse of the game 158 before the time t3 or t4 and applies a secondcombination of factors to determine use of the game after the time t3 ort4. To illustrate, the second combination of factors includes whetherthe users U1 thru UN paid to play the game 158 and whether each of theusers U1 thru UN played the game 158 for a higher number of gamingsessions during a time period than that used to play the other gamesduring the time period. In this illustration, the first combination offactors includes whether each of the users U1 thru UN mentioned the game158 for a higher number of times than mentioning the other games andwhether each of the users U1 thru UN downloaded the game 158 for ahigher number of times than downloading the other games.

It should be noted that in several embodiments, any comparison ofportions of the group data 154 (FIG. 1) is a factor. For example, if theusers U1 thru UN and the user 160 ₂ have the same or similar age is afactor. As another example, whether the users U1 thru UN paid to playthe game 158 is another factor.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram of an embodiments of a client device 280,which is an example of the client device 171 or any of the clientdevices 168 (FIG. 3B). The client device 280 includes a display device282 that is coupled with a bus 286 via an input/output interface (I/O)288 ₁. Examples of the display device 282 include an LED display device,an LCD display device, a plasma display device, and a CRT displaydevice. The display device 282 includes a display screen 284, which isan example of the display screen 193 or one of the display screens 169(FIG. 3B).

An input device 290 of the client device 280 is coupled with the bus 286via an I/O 288 ₂. An I/O interface that is coupled with two devicesprovides compatibility between the two devices. For example, the I/Ointerface 288 ₁ matches a rate of transfer of data to/from the displaydevice 282 with a rate of transfer of data over the bus 286. As anotherexample, the I/O device 288 ₂ converts analog signals received from theinput device 290 into digital signals that are compatible with the bus286. Moreover, a processor 292, a memory device 294, and a NIC 296 arecoupled with the bus 286.

Embodiments described in the present disclosure may be practiced withvarious computer system configurations including hand-held devices,microprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumerelectronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers and the like. Theembodiments can also be practiced in distributed computing environmentswhere tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linkedthrough a wire-based or wireless network.

With the above embodiments in mind, it should be understood that theembodiments can employ various computer-implemented operations involvingdata stored in computer systems. These operations are those requiringphysical manipulation of physical quantities. Any of the operationsdescribed herein are useful machine operations. The present disclosurealso relates to a device or an apparatus for performing theseoperations. The apparatus can be specially constructed for a specificpurpose. The apparatus is selectively activated or configured by acomputer program stored in the computer.

In one embodiment, a module or an engine, as used herein, is embodied ascomputer-readable code on a computer-readable medium. Thecomputer-readable medium is any data storage device that can store data,which can be thereafter be read by a computer. Examples of thecomputer-readable medium include hard drives, network attached storage(NAS), ROM, RAM, compact disc-ROMs (CD-ROMs), CD-recordables (CD-Rs),CD-rewritables (RWs), magnetic tapes and other optical and non-opticaldata storage devices. The computer-readable medium can includecomputer-readable tangible medium distributed over a network-coupledcomputer system so that the computer-readable code is stored andexecuted in a distributed fashion.

Although the method operations were described in a specific order inFIGS. 2 and 6, it should be understood that other housekeepingoperations may be performed in between operations, or operations may beadjusted so that they occur at slightly different times, or may bedistributed in a system which allows the occurrence of the processingoperations at various intervals associated with the processing, as longas the processing of the overlay operations are performed in the desiredway.

Although the foregoing disclosure has been described in some detail forpurposes of clarity of understanding, it will be apparent that certainchanges and modifications can be practiced within the scope of theappended claims. Accordingly, the present embodiments are to beconsidered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the disclosure isnot to be limited to the details given herein, but may be modifiedwithin the scope and equivalents of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for cross suggesting games, the methodcomprising: obtaining group data associated with a first web accountgroup, the group data associated with a first game and a first usergroup playing the first game; identifying the first game to suggest to asecond user based on the group data, wherein the group data includesdata regarding use of the first game by the first user group, the firstuser group including network friends of the first user; and sending dataidentifying of the first game to a client device that is operated toaccess a second web account of the second user, wherein the method isexecuted by one or more processors.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereinobtaining the group data comprises obtaining data regarding the networkfriends, data regarding the second user, data regarding use of the firstgame by the second user, data regarding use of games other than thefirst game by the network friends, or a combination thereof.
 3. Themethod of claim 2, wherein the data regarding the network friendscomprises genders of the network friends, ages of the network friends,likes of the network friends, dislikes of the network friends, interestsof the network friends, hobbies of the network friends, or a combinationthereof.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the data regarding the seconduser comprises an age of the second user, a gender of the second user,likes of the second user, dislikes of the second user, interests of thesecond user, hobbies of the second user, or a combination thereof. 5.The method of claim 2, wherein the data regarding the use of the firstgame by the second user includes a number of times the first game isplayed by the second user during a time period, an amount of time thefirst game is played by the second user during the time period, a numberof downloads of the first game by the second user during the timeperiod, a number of times preview of the first game is viewed by thesecond user during the time period, a number of times the first game isindicated as being liked by the second user during the time period, anumber of times a mention of the first game is posted within the secondweb account of the second user, or a combination thereof.
 6. The methodof claim 2, wherein the data regarding use of the first game by thenetwork friends includes a number of times the first game is played byeach of the network friends during a time period, an amount of time thefirst game is played by each of the network friends during the timeperiod, a number of downloads of the first game by each of the networkfriends during the time period, a number of times preview of the firstgame is viewed by each of the network friends during the time period, anumber of times the first game is indicated as being liked by each ofthe network friends during that time period, a number of times a mentionof the first game is posted within web accounts of each of the networkfriends, whether each of the network friends paid for the first game, ora combination thereof.
 7. The method of claim 2, wherein the dataregarding use of the other games by the network friends includes anumber of times the other games are played by each of the networkfriends during a time period, an amount of time the other games areplayed by each of the network friends during the time period, a numberof downloads of the other games by each of the network friends duringthe time period, a number of times previews of the other games areviewed by each of the network friends during the time period, a numberof times the other games are indicated as being liked by each of thenetwork friends during that time period, a number of times a mention ofthe other games are posted within web accounts of each of the networkfriends, whether each of the network friends paid for the other games,or a combination thereof.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the firstweb account group and the second web account are maintained within asocial network, wherein each of the first web account group and thesecond web account is maintained on the World Wide Web.
 9. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the first web account group is maintained within afirst social network and the second web account is maintained within asecond social network, wherein the first social network is controlled bya first entity, wherein the second social network is controlled by asecond entity.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein this first web accountgroup is maintained within a social network and the second web accountis maintained within a gaming network, wherein each of the first webaccount group and the second web account is maintained on the World WideWeb.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the first game tosuggest to the second user comprises determining data associated with aname of the first game or data associated with a symbol of the firstgame.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the first game tosuggest to the second user based on the group data comprises identifyingthe first game based on data regarding the network friends, dataregarding the second user, data regarding use of the first game by thesecond user, the data regarding use of the first game by the first usergroup, data regarding use of games other than the first game by thenetwork friends, or a combination thereof.
 13. The method of claim 1,wherein identifying the first game to suggest to the second user basedon the group data comprises identifying the first game to suggest to thesecond user based on a comparison of data regarding the network friendswith data regarding the second user, a comparison of the data regardinguse of the first game by the first user group with use of the first gameby the second user and with use of other games by the network friends,or a combination thereof.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the firstgame is suggested within the second web account by storing theidentification of the first game within the second web account.
 15. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the client device includes a mobile device,the mobile device including a tablet or cell phone.
 16. The method ofclaim 1, wherein sending the data identifying the first game comprisessending a name of the first game or a symbol of the first game, whereinsending the data identifying the first game comprises sending the dataidentifying the first game to the client device, the client deviceoperates to play a second game, the second game different than the firstgame.
 17. The method of claim 1, wherein the group data includes whetherthe network friends paid to play the first game, wherein identifying thefirst game comprises identifying the first game based on a determinationthat the network friends paid to play the first game.
 18. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising receiving one or more social contexts of thenetwork friends.
 19. A method for cross suggesting games, the methodcomprising: obtaining group data associated with a first web accountgroup, the group data associated with a first game and a first usergroup playing the first game, the first game played using the first webaccount group; generating rank data to rank the first game within a setof games based on the group data; associating the rank data with asecond web account of a second user, the first user group includingnetwork friends of the second user; and sending the rank data to aclient device that is operated to access the second web account, whereinthe method is executed by one or more processors.
 20. The method ofclaim 19, wherein sending the rank data to the client device isperformed to facilitate a display of the rank of the first game beforeany game is played by the second user.
 21. The method of claim 19,wherein generating the rank data comprises generating data thatrepresents an order of display of the first game within the set ofgames.
 22. The method of claim 19, wherein generating the rank datacomprises generating alphanumeric data that indicates the rank of thefirst game within the set of games.
 23. The method of claim 19, whereinassociating the rank data with the second web account comprisesassociating the rank data to display the rank data with a display thesecond web account.
 24. The method of claim 19, wherein sending the rankdata comprises sending the rank data via a network to the client device.25. A server system for cross suggesting games, the server systemcomprising: a processor configured to identify a first game that is usedby a first user group based on group data, the group data associatedwith a first web account group of the first user group, the group dataincludes data regarding use of the first game by the first user group,the first game identified to suggest to a second user, the first usergroup including network friends of the first user; a network interfacecontroller configured to send data identifying the first game to aclient device, the client device that is operated to access a second webaccount of the second user; and a memory device configured to store theidentification of the first game.